


Queen's Rook

by stillslightlynerdy



Series: The Frozen Fitzverse [3]
Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: F/F, part 2 of the Fitzverse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2020-07-19 09:54:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19972120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stillslightlynerdy/pseuds/stillslightlynerdy
Summary: The third story in the "Once Upon A Time in Arendelle" universe, (which has NOTHING to do with the TV show) finds Queen Elsa struggling with building a relationship with her new lover, Captain M.C. Fitzwilliam.





	1. 1

**Backstory for 'Queen's Rook':**

The third story in the "Once Upon A Time in Arendelle" universe, (which has NOTHING to do with the TV show) finds Queen Elsa struggling with building a relationship with her new lover, Captain M.C. Fitzwilliam.

Fitz commanded the formidable warship "Vigilant", which was sent by King William of Avalon to acquire Elsa by any means necessary, including torture and kidnapping. Captain Fitzwilliam instead found herself captivated by the Snow Queen, and allowed her heart to lead her into treason and imprisonment by the Duke of Ledsham, who was determined to take Elsa back to Avalon.

He neglected to account for the power of Elsa of Arendelle. Demonstrating that power by damaging the Vigilant almost beyond repair, rescuing Fitz from chains and potential execution, and teaching Ledsham that Arendelle might be a small Kingdom, but it is by no means helpless while she's the Queen, Elsa sends a strong message back to King William.

In the aftermath, Fitz and Elsa must build a relationship; a relationship that neither one has any experience with. This is the story of that painful, tentative, troublesome relationship building.

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**Prologue: Several weeks ago ...**

The pub was busy; it was well into the wee hours of the morning and the crowd had started to dwindle, but still there was a steady flow coming through the doors, and some hard core drinkers who hadn't gone home from earlier. It was near the docks, so the clientele tended to be sailors looking for shore leave fun and burly dockworkers. A rough crowd, in other words.

One sailor drained his tankard of ale, waved it toward Brandy, and got a wink that told him it would be refilled promptly. _"Just this one more, Erik, me boy. Then home to the missus, and another day at the Admiralty tomorrow."_

Erik Jorgensen was a yeoman in the Royal Arendelle Navy. He had served since signing on as a seaman apprentice at 16. Thirty years on, he had worked his way into a cushy job at the Admiralty. Nights at home in his own bed with his own wife, no reefing topsails in a roaring blizzard, and good ale to drink instead of that vile stuff the Navy called 'rum'. For the thousandth time in thirty years, Erik wondered if someone wasn't just playing a joke on the Navy when they sold it to them.

Erik was not just _a_ yeoman; he was _the_ yeoman, the Admiral's yeoman. The Admiral who made the decisions about every personnel move in the Arendelle Navy. Everyone wanted to be his best friend, thinking they could influence the Admiral's process by dropping a word into Erik's ear, or a coin into his pocket.

None of it worked. It had taken Erik too much hard work to get to where he was, and he wouldn't sell his integrity for a mess of pottage. The Admiral knew it, too. He trusted Erik, and trusted his judgement about people. They often discussed potential assignments. Erik and the Admiral were both old salts, with the sure touch of knowing the best fit for a billet when a name came across the desk looking for a new assignment.

Just as he was reaching for his wallet to pay his tab and go, a loud crash and flying tankards caught his attention.

"You bastard! I'll kill you!" Shouted a dockworker as he picked himself up from the debris of a smashed table and lunged at a very big and burly fellow standing over him. Bar fight!

Erik hastily moved out of the circle of destruction the fight was creating. It wasn't HIS fight, and he had spent enough time in dockside bars to know when being an onlooker was the safest thing to be. It looked to be an interesting fight, though, so he moved over to where he saw Brandy watching it with lively interest.

"Here, darlin', let me pay up so if I need to hastily vacate the premises you don't get shorted!" he slipped the coins into her hands, and got another saucy wink in return.

"Thank you kindly, Erik!" Brandy knew all the regulars, and made sure to treat them well. Tips made up a large part of her wages, but it wasn't just avarice. She genuinely like people, and made friends easily.

They both watched the brawl for a moment. It seemed to be somewhat uneven a match: five dockworkers against the big burly man and someone dressed rather more fashionably than the dive's usual clientele. A strange pair to be bar buddies, it seemed.

"Who's the big man?" Erik didn't know him, but he thought Brandy would.

"That's Kristoff, the Ice Master and Deliverer. You know, the one who's been squiring the Princess Anna for the last year?" Erik recognized him now that his memory had been jogged.

"And the well-dressed fellow? Doesn't seem like the type to hang in bars like this..." Erik asked her.

Brandy's pealing laughter almost cut through the din of the fight. Kristoff had just tossed one tough into the liquor shelves behind the bar. Overhand. Shelves and tough crashed to the floor behind the bar, as Kristoff looked around for more goons to toss.

"That's no fellow! That's Captain Fitzwilliam, late of His Majesty's Navy of Avalon! SHE apparently has become good friends with the Queen." Brandy blew a kiss at Captain Fitzwilliam, who was too busy kicking one of the toughs in the groin to notice.

 _"Ouch!"_ Erik winced in sympathy. "Wait, 'She'? That's a WOMAN?" Erik wasn't sure he had heard correctly.

"Aye, she is that. But more of a gentleman than most of the crowd I've had to deal with." Brandy was watching Fitzwilliam with what Erik could only call fondness. "She came in here the night of the Queen's Celebration and proceeded to get stone cold drunk. I tried to have my way with her, but she would have none of it!" Another laugh. "She already knew she only had eyes for one woman."

They both ducked as a bar stool came flying in their direction.

Erik had known Brandy a long time. "Which woman?" He was interested when a sailor could resist her considerable charms. She had a sweet personality, and loved everyone.

"Why, the Queen, you ninny!" Brandy giggled. "Weren't you paying attention when the Queen put that big ship up on that ice mountain in the harbor? And tore it all to pieces? Some of the boys who came in here said it was because that little dirtbag Duke had put Fitz in chains, so the Queen came to rescue her."

Erik had heard the entire story at the Admiralty, of course, but that version was rather more about dry politics: that the Duke had tried to blackmail and kidnap Queen Elsa at the behest of King William of Avalon. King William considered Queen Elsa just another pawn in his game of thrones, someone to be possessed, like a prize mare or hunting dog. So, the Queen had demonstrated to mighty Avalon that she might be a young woman and Queen of a small kingdom, but that NO ONE would threaten her kingdom and her people while she had a breath left in her body. Fitzwilliam's part in the affair had not come into the conversations, although it was well known she was the captain of the vessel Avalon had sent. Brandy's version intrigued Erik.

Fitzwilliam was being charged by the largest of the brawlers, who had murder in his eye. She deftly ducked his punch, grabbed his shirt, pivoted neatly, and used his own momentum to throw him through the front window of the bar, crashing onto the pavement in a shower of wood and glass. She stood there, chest heaving with deep breaths, looking around for another assailant. There were none. She and Kristoff were the only ones left standing.

The gendarmerie finally showed up. Typical, Erik thought. Just in time to arrest the guilty without having to get their pretty uniforms dirty. He snorted.

Brandy sent another little finger wave and blew a kiss at Fitzwilliam. Who nodded stiffly in acknowledgement as two gendarmes took her arms and led her away. Three more had Kristoff. They had called a cart for the five bravos lying about, out cold. Those wouldn't be walking anywhere for a few hours.

Brandy sighed. "Oh, how I wish someone loved me the way Fitz loves Queen Elsa."

"How can you be sure she loves her? Being the Queen's ... uh ... friend is pretty lucrative. Many men have sought her hand for that reason alone. Love doesn't usually come into it." Long service in the Navy had left Erik a little cynical about high-born politics.

"No, Erik, not this one. Truth comes out when the liquor flows freely. That first night, I told you Fitz passed up my kisses, but she was truly poetical talking about the Queen. Then, she really did wind up in chains. The Duke's bully boys made it pretty plain when they drank here that Fitz wouldn't go along with that pig and his plans for the Queen. They said the Duke would torture her if Elsa didn't agree to come with the Duke to Avalon."

She continued, "So instead, the Avalon warship limps back to where it came from, and Fitz stays here. She's one of King Billy's byblows, did you know that? Except for fighting duels with stupid men over the word 'bastard', she had a pretty good life in Avalon's navy. And she gave it up for love."

Erik was thoughtful. "So, why start a fight in a dockside bar? Why even COME to a dockside bar? I'd think there's plenty to do around the castle."

"Those bastards were making lewd remarks about Princess Anna. Fitz told them to shut their filthy gobs and the fight was on. Kristoff was out back in the privy, he probably doesn't even know about that part yet."

This impressed Erik. Five to one odds? This Fitzwilliam certainly didn't lack courage. Or a concern for the honor of the royalty of Arendelle.

Brandy wasn't finished yet. "And Kristoff and I were talking before Fitz came down to eat. She's been driving the castle staff loony. Seems that you can't make a house cat out of a tiger. She adores Elsa, but she needs her own ... usefulness. And now that's gone, and she's at loose ends and isn't dealing with it well." A sigh. "I hope they figure it out. They both need love."

"Brandy! Get over here and let's start cleaning up this mess!" The bar's owner called to her, hand on his hips, shaking his head as he surveyed the damage ruefully.

"Okay!" She turned to Erik, "Well, gotta run, darlin'! You better get home to the missus!" and she went over to help the owner.

Erik just shook his head and headed home. The things you learn in bars.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

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"The only thing worse than a fool in love ... is two idiots in love."

Princess Anna of Arendelle, 1841

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-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 1**

One of the constants in any branch of the service was "hurry up and wait." So, while the Navy wasn't as prone to this mantra as the other branches, Fitzwilliam was still used to it, and as such she didn't think it unusual when she arrived bright and early in the morning hoping to catch Admiral Naismith, the commander of Arendelle's military forces, most notably its Navy, before his day began only to be ushered to a chair and told to wait. Waiting was not her favorite thing to do, but for this she would wait. She had even prepared herself this morning for waiting, giving herself an internal pep talk about the virtue of patience while she donned her freshly cleaned and pressed tailcoat, crisp trousers and well polished boots. And it wasn't like she hadn't been waiting already.

She had sent a letter of introduction to the Admiral two days after she came to the decision she was staying in Arendelle. Those first two days being spent exploring the very reason she had decided to stay, and those explorations proving time consuming and somewhat arduous, more than she had originally expected. But Elsa had been very enthusiastic and a quick study - at any rate she'd sent the letter as soon as she was able and had not heard a thing back in the intervening eight weeks.

This made her nervous. Fitz wasn't at all concerned that she was qualified; in her own estimation she was more qualified than anyone else in Arendelle's Navy to serve as an officer here, but there was the matter of her prior service. She had taken an oath upon receiving her commission from Avalon, and she had broken that oath. It had been for a good reason, and she'd do it again if she had to, but forsworn was forsworn. An officer was only as good as his or her word, this too was a constant across the branches of the service - and across continents. So there was this little niggling worry that sat at the back of her consciousness pricking her from time to time. Would Naismith want a forsworn product of Avalon in his Navy? It was ... worrisome.

The pricking had grown to a constant twinge when the Admiral's Yoeman, Jorgensen was his name, had let her know, not unkindly, that the Admiral was out for lunch. Fitz had stayed where she was; she didn't have the stomach for lunch anyway.

The twinge became a dull throb as the afternoon crept by; officer after officer slipping past her, through the heavy oaken doors that were otherwise closed, into the Admiral's office.

The dull throb was a blinding headache with an equal portion of nerves and anger when she noticed other office staff from the Admiralty starting their routine of closing up shop. It was absolutely clear. Admiral Naismith was avoiding her, something she resolved to end then and there.

"Sir? Uh, Madam ... you can't ..." Jorgensen said as she walked resolutely to the door, pulled it open, and stepped through. The rest of his caution was lost as thick door closed, effectively sound proofing the room.

"Excuse me?" Admiral Naismith looked up, surprise turning to annoyance.

"Admiral, I am M.C. Fitzwilliam. I sent you a letter about two months ago, inquiring about joining Arendelle's Navy."

The Admiral frowned and then sighed. This was not a conversation he had wished to have. "Yes, Fitzwilliam ... I remember."

"Good, although I brought another letter just in case, outlining my particulars." She pulled the letter from her coat pocket and offered it to him.

"Fitzwilliam," he said, waving the letter off. "The only particular I needed to see was that you were a Captain with Avalon."

"And not a bad one, if I do say myself. My service record is one of the most ..."

"... which makes your service here quite impossible."

"Sir?" She shook her head as if she had heard wrongly. She hoped she had heard wrongly.

"You are aware that Avalon threatened Arendelle and attempted to kidnap our Queen."

"Unfortunately, yes ..."

"Why of course you were." Admiral Naismith was suprised at how angry the memory of that incident made him, even now. He had been involved intimately in preparing a defense against Avalon's warship, though nothing in Arendelle's Navy would be able to do more than scratch its hull. He hadn't been involved in the resolution. Protecting the Queen was the purview of the Queen's Guard, but he had heard enough from Captain Larsson. It had been a despicable plot. "You were the captain of the ship that was going to take her away, weren't you. That makes you what, a ... conspirator?"

Fitzwilliam was shocked by that accusation, her temper further heightened. "Hardly. I would never do such a thing. I didn't know ..."

"What you knew or didn't know is immaterial, Captain. You were a well placed officer in what is now an enemy force. Further, I took the liberty of inquiring with our intelligence officers. Not only were you the Captain of the ship that threatened us, you are related to the King who ordered you to do so."

"I resigned my commission. I am no longer in Avalon's service. I cannot help whom I am related to!" Fitzwilliam let go of the anger and frustration that had been building all day in a loud retort.

"Captain ..."

"I am NOT a Captain; that is what I am saying!" She raised her voice again and a vein on her neck throbbed in time to her racing pulse.

Admiral Naismith took a step back to allow them both to take a breath.

"Madam. I cannot take the risk. I am not a young man, and I have seen any number of plots unfold over the years. I am also familiar with Avalon's modus operandi. If in twenty-five years nothing has happened, then I will apologize to you. But I will not be sorry. I would however be very sorry if we took you in, and it turned out to be one of King William's damnable plots. So thank you for your offer, but we will not be accepting it."

Fitzwilliam knew she was dismissed with the outcome she had dreaded the most. Her inflection turned bitter, her expression cold and flinty. "I suppose then, if I am to wait twenty-five years to be exculpated, I had better wish you good health."

The Admiral nodded, but didn't respond. He merely turned and went back to stand behind his desk.

"Good day, Admiral." Fitz shouted as she made her way out of the door, her voice as tight as her fists. Her jaw was set. Her eyes were flashing in anger. She slammed the door with enough force to sound a resounding thud, and she started to stride across the antechamber.

Erik got up to intercept her. "You're Fitzwilliam."

She wheeled and snapped, "Yes. What of it?"

Erik took a breath. This tiger made a poor housecat indeed. "You're a friend of Brandy's ..."

"Brandy ... oh." She nodded and seemed to recover some of her temper. "Sorry. I'm not myself. But yes, I suppose I am a friend of Brandy's."

"She thinks quite highly of you."

Fitz couldn't help the sarcastic bark. "Well, I'm glad someone does. Apparently it's a short list." Then she turned and stormed out the door into the evening.

Erik looked from the closing door to the Admiral's already closed one. He didn't need to be a soothsayer to know what had happened in there.

He considered his next move carefully. It was his integrity on the line. The Admiral trusted him, and he wasn't about to call on that trust without a damn good reason. But, he remembered his oath. When he took it originally it had been to both King and Country, now it was to the Queen as well as Arendelle. If Brandy was to be believed, and Erik trusted her the way the Admiral trusted him, Fitzwilliam's happiness went straight to the Queen's.

"Come." The Admiral looked up from checking off the last of his work for the day to find Yoeman Jorgensen standing before his desk. "Yes, Erik?" he asked.

"I couldn't help but notice that your interview with Captain Fitzwilliam didn't go well, Admiral," Jorgensen stated.

"Yes, I don't think 'former,' as she very clearly put it, Captain Fitzwilliam expected to be turned down."

"I rather imagine she didn't, sir. She has quite a jacket. Avalon thought quite highly of her."

"Which is the problem." The Admiral put down what he was working on and leaned back in his chair. "I could be persuaded to accept her. At least if she were here, we could keep a proper eye on her, right?" The question was rhetorical and Jorgensen knew it. "But the rest of the command staff, they'd be livid. They don't trust her. Hardly a meeting goes by without someone wishing they could trounce her roundly and send her back to where she came from."

"Ah yes, sir. I've heard some of that. Although anyone thinking to lay a hand on her had better be prepared."

Naismith nodded. "Her martial prowess is not the issue, you understand."

Erik took this as the right moment to go to the heart of the matter. "So, and forgive me if I'm being impertinent sir, but are you aware that she is ..." Erik paused wanted to get the phrasing just right ... "a dear friend of the Queen's."

Naismith's eyebrows threatened to crawl right off the top of his forehead. "Yes, of course I do. If I didn't then I should resign, yes?"

"Of course, sir. I just wanted to – well, not presume anything."

They shared a look that said they both understood exactly how awkward this conversation was. "And so you know this, how?" the Admiral asked.

"Yes, sir, I um ... I saw her defending ... um ... the Queen's ... errr ... honor recently. It was quite impressive. And well, Brandy filled me in on the particulars."

"Brandy? Yes. She would be one to know if anyone did." The Admiral agreed with a nod. He appreciated that a tavern was a place where many of the finer points of the lives of the upper class were shared amongst the people who worked for them.

"Yes, sir. And, again, if I may ask, is the rest of the Command Staff aware of this deep friendship?"

"Of course, not!" Naismith sputtered. "I wouldn't betray something like that."

"Ah, yes, sir." Jorgensen waited for the Admiral to put it all together.

Naismith knew he was missing something. Jorgensen's face said as much. What was so important about the Command Staff not - of course. "I see. That's a valid point. I, and you, have an appreciation of the young Captain that the others may not have."

"Indeed, sir. I mean the Queen is hardly a reckless person."

"Yes, right," Naismith stifled the chuckle. "I do not think I know a less reckless person." He thought some more. "But I'm not about to introduce her as the Queen's - that is right out."

"Understood, sir." And that had never been Erik's thought. The idea of a telling anyone about the Queen's private life made him blush like a boy at a Sunday dance. "Perhaps the Command Staff would be swayed by another guarantee of her loyalty, sir?"

"Perhaps, but what?" Naismith wracked his brain. They already took an oath upon entering the service, and then the officers did again upon receiving their commission. This wasn't the middle ages where ..."Oh, I've got it." It was the perfect idea. "She could swear herself personally to the Queen. Not just the standard oath, something more - impressive that will make everyone else, and conceivably her, think twice before they question her loyalty."

Erik nodded. He hadn't considered exactly what this other guarantee would be, but this sounded perfect. "Just the thing, sir."

Naismith continued, as he started to look through some historical volumes he had on the bookshelf against the wall. "You know they used to do this often, well a very long time ago before even my grandfather's time." Naismith's grandfather had fled Avalon in fear for his life from the notoriously unstable political situation. It hadn't gotten any better over there in his estimation, and that was no doubt one reason why he didn't trust Fitzwilliam entirely. "Yes, they swore fealty all the time. I guess loyalties were more fluid then."

"Or people better armed," Erik added.

"Yes, right. So I'll suggest this to the Queen. She'll have to approve it, but I am sure she will."

"Wonderful, sir."

"Easy for you to say, Jorgensen," Naismith said with a wince. "You don't have to tell the Queen what the problem is and how you came to a solution."

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 **A/N:** First credit for the prologue goes entirely to grrlgeek72, who also beta'd this. I also want to remind the readers that fluff to soothe your soul may be found in HEA, and into every life a little snow must fall. - SSN


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It continues. Fitz is drunk. Elsa is angry. Anna is trying.

"Come on, now Captain. Time for you to get home before you get yourself in a pinch again." Brandy was at the table in the far back of the tavern where Fitz had hidden herself since early evening. Although it had made her a bit anxious to see Fitz drinking steadily since she arrived, the barmaid had to admit that the Captain had a bit of sense to sit here, out of the way where trouble was less likely to find her. But it was almost midnight, and if she didn't get home, the barmaid thought, she'd find trouble soon enough.

"I'm not a bleedin' Captain," Fitz growled adamantly. Brandy shook her head. Fitz was drunk, drunk enough that her normally refined accent had digressed to it's more earthy roots. "And if you bloody Arendell ... Arend ... whatever the bloody hell you bleedin' are ... can't remember that, then ..." Fitz squinted as she struggled to find something to say, "you're bleedin' eedjeets."

The tavern was full, the air pressing close with a mix of stale beer and raucous laughter. Normally it wasn't a bad crowd, not this early. But with Fitz in this mood anything was possible, especially if one of the more thin skinned patrons overheard her.

"Right." Brandy was not going to have Fitz start another fight. "You're goin' home now."

"I don 'ave ta go 'ome; you're not my moth ... Ow!" Fitz tried to pull her ear out of Brandy's grasp as she was wrestled to her feet. "Easy there, woman!"

"Come on, then," Brandy pulled her charge toward the nearest exit. "If you don't want a mother then stop actin' like a child."

Once they were out of the tavern the barmaid released her ear. Fitz straightened up and with a tug of her coat, which only managed to pull it further askew, said with the overblown dignity that only the intoxicated could manage, "Fine, then. I'm going 'ome. Straight 'way. No need of ... the fuss."

"Mind youself, now," Brandy warned, "or you'll be sleeping in the stable again." Brandy had heard that story from one of the undergrooms, and while it had been quite a laugh then, her warning was dead serious. Brandy didn't think Queen Elsa was likely to be the sort of woman who would appreciate drunk sulky Fitz. Hell, Brandy wasn't a woman who appreciated drunk sulky Fitz, she just had more practice with that sort of behavior.

"I'm NOT sleepin' in the bleedin' stable," Fitz declared self-righteously as she circled a bit to find the direction of the castle. She had left all of her grace and coordination at the bottom of her mug, and she was weaving slightly as she navigated the cobblestone street. "Sleepin' in my own bleedin' bed."

Brandy exhaled loudly as she watched her go. She was glad she didn't have to be a fly on the wall when that one got home. She suspected that it would be a rather chilly reception.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Fitz stumbled her way across the causeway and through the open gates. She decided that it would be a good idea, more stealthy, if she entered through one of the side doors rather than the main door of the castle. And it might have been more stealthy if she hadn't gotten lost, her inebriated state rendering all the corridors identical and obliterating her sense of direction. Eventually an amused guard pointed her toward the main staircase. From there it was a short careen to the second floor, a tumble through Elsa's private sitting room, and a loud thunk as she caught her shoulder against the door frame. Stealthy was a distant memory.

"Bloody hell!" Fitz exclaimed at the door frame, and she stumbled over the chair that was at her side of the bed. Then she bent over and added, "Ssssh!" to the chair, to discourage it from making any more noise.

"Carolina? Are you alright?" Elsa's groggy voice suggested she had just been on the edge of sleep.

"S,fine," she said, sitting down heavily on the edge of the bed. "Just need a moment to get off me boots and then ..." she fell backwards hitting Elsa in the stomach with her head.

The Queen let out a pained, breathy 'uff' and sat up, blinking. "What in the world?" Then, with one alcohol laden breath wafting over her, what in the world became clear. "You are drunk."

"Might be a bit." Fitz struggled upright and pulled off her boots, dropping them with two loud clops. "But no mind, I'll be right as rain, tomorrow. Bloody not right enough for you lot, never right enough for you, but right for ..."

"Are you mad?" Elsa's mind was becoming clearer, and now she suddenly remembered exactly how annoyed she had been when Carolina had missed dinner without a word, had not been seen all evening, and then hadn't even shown up for bed. "After your behavior last time. After what happened, I was worried!" And she had been worried, although now that worry for Carolina had morphed into a greater concern for the town since she realized that Carolina had been off drinking.

"You go off without a word to anyone, not even to me! Miss dinner. Not a word about that either." It was all coming back to her, and she felt her temper rise and the temperature sink. "And you have the nerve to come stumbling back … in the middle of the night … drunk …. never mind who sees you … after doing god knows what? At least this time I wasn't woken up by the town gendarmes!" Her exclamation was punctuated by a small blast of snow directed up into the bed's canopy.

"Don't worry, luv," Fitz growled, waving off the falling snowflakes. She had been stewing and trying to get a word in edgewise during the entire lecture, but her words weren't fast enough. And now that she had Elsa's attention she couldn't exactly remember what it was she wanted to say. "I didn't do nothing to call out your precious town watch."

Elsa retorted, "I am the Queen, you know. It may not seem like much to you, but I would rather not have all of Arendelle look at the castle and think, 'Yes, that's where that drunk lunatic staggers back to.'" She gripped Fitz's shoulder and pulled her around so that they were face to face. She wanted Carolina to see how angry she was. She wanted to cut through Carolina's drunken rambling so she would understand how serious this was, what a problem behavior like this could be to the royal reputation.

"I said, I didn't do nothin'." Fitz tossed Elsa's hand off and started to rant, her words lost to Elsa in a tumbling Midland's slur. "Didn't do nothin' but slink quietly back. Quiet as a wee little lamb I was. Wee lamb not fit for anything seems like. Not that I couldn't have. Better than all that lot. Alice was better than that lot. Hell my worst seaman was better than that lot. Weak … good for nothing … can't even run a goddamn Navy. Got what? Three ships, thinks he's god's bleedin' gift."

"What are you going on about?" Clearly Carolina was saying something, and loudly too, but Elsa could understand none of it.

"Your damn Admiral! Your bleedin' pathetic little Navy."

"Good god, what's gotten into you." Elsa's eyes opened wide as she considered the possibilities of what Fitz had been saying while out. She knew Fitz was frustrated, but did she have no sense of what was politic or just plain right? "You didn't insult Admiral Naismith in public did you … or our Navy? You cannot just go around drinking until you're falling over and saying the first thing that comes into your thick skull."

Fitz harumped and smirked, "Don't go 'round slappin' down the elderly can't take care of themselves, can't protect the Queen, can't even protect their bleedin' Kingdom. I'm the problem, yah. Well, a real navy wouldn't a let the Vigilant in their damn port."

"Excuse me. I really don't think you have any right to insult the Admiral or my Navy."

"Not a real Navy. Real Navy fights." Fitz stabbed her forefinger into Elsa's chest, her voice rising. "These buggers can't fight. Got a couple a toy boats fit for a bathtub. But I guess that's how you like it. Nice and tame, eh? They can't make trouble with their dicks safely in port."

"That is unacceptable Carolina!" Elsa yelled, slapping her hand away, a spray of ice flying across the room. "Being drunk does not give you the right to insult people and use that language in my bedroom."

"Oh sorry, then. Wouldn't want to be impolite in YOUR bedroom." Fitz shook her head in imitation of Elsa. "Your bleedin' Navy prolly don't even curse, do they. Well, don't worry. I'll just be a good quiet lamb; deaf and dumb, the way you want me to be." She turned her back on the Queen, her anger cutting through the haze of the liquor.

"You are being impossible," Elsa said tightly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to regain control. She was not going to lose her temper over this stupid drunken rant of Carolina's, and she was going to end it. "I will ask you to think very carefully about the next words you say. I am tired of your drunken behavior, and I will not put up with it." The ultimatum was etched clearly in the Queen's voice.

"Very well," Fitz roared, swinging around, bringing her face right into Elsa's, enunciating every word. "Yooou dooo not hhhave to worry, Your Majesty. This damn Avalonian traitor didn't besmirch the high and mighty reputation of bloody Arendelle." She reached down under the bed and fished out her boots. "And now, I won't besmirch your presence either. So you do not have to put up my drunken behavior." Clutching her boots to her chest, she moved with only a slight stagger to the door. "'Good Night, Your Majesty!"

Elsa stared in shock; words failed her. Until they didn't. "Come back here! Don't you dare walk out on me like that! I will NOT be treated this way!" She yelled at the slamming door.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Anna awoke. There was thumping. And yelling. It could be a nightmare. Her sister could be having a nightmare, and Fitz hadn't come back yet. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she sat up. Then she pulled on her robe and went to see what the matter was.

Anna saw Fitz coming at her, full speed. She was partially dressed in a shirt, pants and her coat. Her boots were in her hands, her face a scowl. "What's wrong?" Anna asked.

Fitz stopped and her eyes narrowed, a fierce smolder behind them. "You got a problem, Princess?" she snarled.

"Nooooooo." Anna held up her hands in surrender, turning her face from the blast of beer breath. Fitz harumphed, and stormed off up the stairs. Anna watched her go. Whatever was going on, that didn't bode well, she thought. So her next stop would be Elsa's bedroom.

She continued down the hall, went through the sitting room and then knocked on Elsa's bedroom door.

"If you think you're coming back in here tonight, then you are sadly mistaken!" Rang out from inside the room.

Anna pushed open the door; it stuck about half way. "Ummm, I'm guessing that wasn't for me, right?"

"No." Elsa snapped. She was up and pacing, her dressing gown billowing behind her as snow swirled and ice cracked on the floor. There were pillows suspiciously scattered about the room, one blocking the door from opening fully, or perhaps that was due to the pile of snow next to it. "It was for that …. that … impossible woman!"

"OK," Anna said. Then she pointed at her ears. "Not deaf."

"I'm sorry." Elsa slowed her pacing and took a breath. "I am just ... upset."

But Elsa didn't look 'just upset,' Anna thought. She looked furious. Anna smiled. And here she thought only she could make Elsa this furious.

"What happened?"

"What happened?" Elsa clearly thought the question was either obvious or inappropriate, or perhaps it was the smile, but her voice got louder again. "What happened?! I don't know, Anna! What do you think happened? We had a FIGHT!" she yelled. "After SHE decided to grace us with her presence … at this hour of the night … drunk … going on about god knows what. She has no sense of responsibility. No self control!"

Anna had heard this rant before, just not about other people. "So she came home drunk, and you had a fight."

"Of course we did! SHE was determined to start one!"

"Ooookay," Anna took a breath. It was OK. She knew Elsa didn't handle personal conflict well. She knew lashing out was just a defense mechanism. She knew this was a variation on 'conceal, don't feel' except it went more like 'don't admit what you're really feeling and lash out at everything and everyone in a ten mile radius.' "But what was the fight about?"

"I don't know." Elsa started pacing again, frosty footprints in her wake. Periodically she would throw her hands up and snow would fall. "She was drunk. Moody. Moody and difficult. Moody, difficult and impossible. Stubborn moody, difficult and impossible! And …. I … I couldn't understand half of what she was saying. Infuriating, drunk, moody, difficult, woman!"

Anna pulled her robe tighter against the cold. "Were you fighting about her drinking?"

"Yes!" Elsa yelled at her sister. Then she reconsidered and looked searchingly around the room as if the walls held the answer. "No … no … I don't know. I guess so." Elsa jammed her hands on her hips. "She's never like this! I mean she can be stubborn and moody, I've seen that, but I've never seen her like this."

"Do you know why she was drinking?"

"No. How could I, Anna? I wasn't there." Elsa threw up her hand in exasperation and ice covered the ceiling of her bedroom. "Who knows why Millicent Carolina Fitzwilliam does anything?" She blustered. "Why did she destroy most of a tavern with Kristoff?" She glared at Anna daring her to say it was because 'they insulted Sven.'

Anna was still trying to de-escalate the situation, trying to calm Elsa down, but she was getting tired of being yelled at. She also was beginning to have an idea why Fitz had stormed down the hallway; she was tempted to as well. "So you have no idea why your lover came home drunk."

"She's not the most articulate person when she's drunk," Elsa said defensively. "All she kept saying was that she was a 'wee lamb' or some such nonsense like that. I tried to talk to her. I told her that I was worried when she didn't show up for dinner and there was no note or anything saying a word about it!"

"You said you were worried – like that?" Anna asked, carefully.

"Yes, Anna." Elsa was indignant. How did she expect her to say it? "Like that!" She crossed her arms and looked down at her sister.

"Um, yeah. I see." Anna scratched the back of her head just as Kristoff did when he was stalling for time.

"What do you mean by that?" Elsa demanded.

"What?" Anna was caught a little off guard by the sharp tone in her sister's voice directed entirely at her.

"Yeah, I see?" Elsa quoted Anna. "What do you mean by that? I hear your tone, you know."

"You hear my tone?" Anna asked incredulously. "Are you listening to yourself?"

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Elsa," Anna was now annoyed enough that she didn't bother to sugar coat her words. "You're not a very comforting or easy person to be around when you're upset, you know. In fact you're rather difficult."

"So this is my fault?!"

"Well, maybe at least partially …."

"SHE came home drunk and started going on … cursing … language that isn't appropriate …."

Anna tried again to explain, but she was past patience. "And that's one reason right there. You have zero sympathy for the rest of us mortals who happen to be human. Just because YOU don't say embarrassing things out of anger, or get stupidly drunk, or use foul language, or ... or ... or even TELL people that you are upset when your feelings are hurt …."

Elsa cut her off. "Are you saying I'm not human? What, that I don't have human feelings?" She drew herself up as tall as she could, and the crack of ice beneath her feet resounded through the room.

"No … no damn it! I'm trying to help you see..." Anna started, but she was cut off again.

"See what, Anna?!"

That was the last straw. She really wasn't going to stand here arguing with her sister about why arguing didn't work. "Oh … oh forget it. I'm done here. If you want to listen to someone, to me, tomorrow, we can talk. But tonight isn't the time. So, so, good night, Elsa."

Elsa made sure the snowpile she threw after Anna left completely blocked her door, and she sealed it off with a layer of ice just to be sure.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fitz might have regrets. Elsa has meetings.

Fitz woke up in the library with a pounding headache. The room spun as she sat up. It was just dawn. She gathered herself, sitting back on the sofa, trying to remember exactly what happened last night. The more she remembered the more dejected she felt. She had no idea what she was going to do … not with Elsa, not with living here, not with the rest of her life. Clearly however, it couldn't involve quite as much drink.

She needed to get up and get back to the room before the staff came up here. Fitz knew that they, she and Elsa, were already the subject of conversation, and she would rather not have their arguments also become bar room fodder. She also knew she should apologize for being that intoxicated, but it was hard to give up what little pride she had remaining. She would just have to gut through this as she had so many other things. Soldier on. Stiff upper lip. As long as she kept moving forward she was sure things would work themselves out.

When she got to their bedroom, she found it long vacant. Everything was neatly ordered and put away. It was as if no one had ever been there. The bed was made, the room immaculate, her sword tucked away in a corner. It felt cold and empty. As she pulled out clothing for the day she reminded herself, "Just keep moving forward, Milly."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Anna walked into a cold breakfast. Not because there weren't eggs on the menu, not even because Fitz and her sister were sitting as far apart as they could at the table looking in the opposite direction from one another, but because the temperature in the dining room was a good 10 degrees colder than the rest of the castle. This was the surest tell of all that Elsa was upset. She could often keep her emotions from her face, easily from people who didn't know her well, with more effort from Anna, but if the emotion was strong enough there was going to be a little draft somewhere no matter how hard Elsa tried to control it. It was clear that today she was making that effort to hide what she was feeling, and it would have been successful except that Anna knew she was upset, and it was cold.

The room was silent except for the delicate clink of china and cutlery, until Anna said, "Morning," in what she hoped was a cheerful voice.

"Good Morning, Anna," Elsa replied in her queen tone, wearing her queen face, her smile at odds with what Anna knew was going on inside of her. Anna didn't think she had slept because her eyes had dark circles under them, and she was drumming her fingers as if she had already had too much coffee.

"Morning," grunted Fitz who was staring at the toast in front of her, not looking herself either. Looking a bit … green, actually.

"So," Anna said. "What is everyone up to today?" trying not to sound too desperately chipper and upbeat.

"We can practice if you wish," Fitz said slowly and without any enthusiasm. "It's entirely up to you." That Fitz was willing to let Anna skip out of practice was a true measure of how out of sorts she was feeling. Fitz only canceled practice for physician certified injury and illness, and probably death. Usually, if she and Elsa had a tiff, Fitz worked through it by running Anna ragged, sort of reprisal by proxy, a whipping girl as it were. But her response this morning, feeble and uninspired as it was, said that Fitz was miserable as well.

And of course there was nothing from the other end of the table. The silence was deadly, or at least very tense and unnerving. Anna tried a more direct approach. "Got a lot to do today, Elsa?"

"Of course I do," she answered crisply. "I have a meeting with Admiral Naismith immediately after breakfast, and the entire Council this afternoon." At the mention of Naismith's name, Fitz winced and returned her attention to her tea. "Some of us have a schedule to keep." That remark had Fitz slowly twisting and pulling on her napkin as if it were a living thing she was slaughtering with her bare hands.

That was also the entirety of the conversation until a footman came in with Anna's plate and a large glass of orange colored liquid, which he placed before Fitz.

"I'm sorry," the footman apologized, "but we don't have tomato juice this late in the season, but the cook managed to whip up this … it's carrot. Will that be acceptable?"

Fitz turned a little greener but nodded. Then once the staff had left the room she reached into her boot and pulled out her flask. Anna looked across the table and thought that if Elsa could have shot icicles from her eyes she would have impaled Fitz right then and there. Fitz wasn't immune to her stare either.

"Hair of the dog," she said with a grim smile.

"You have got to be kidding," Elsa spat back. "It's not even 9 o'clock yet."

Fitz's smile such as it was disappeared. She stood and raised her glass. "To her Majesty's health … and the health of the dog." She downed the drink in one long draught, performed a well executed about-face, and marched from the room.

Elsa closed her eyes. Her jaw tightened. Then she put her coffee cup down with a bang. "You will have to excuse me, Anna," she said stiffly. Not waiting for a response, she stalked out a different door back into the heart of the castle.

Anna rubbed the back of her head, looking over as Kristoff came into the room.

"What's up?" he said with a smile.

"I am sooooo glad to see you," she answered, beaming back at him. "Come here and kiss me."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Good afternoon, Admiral," Elsa waved him to a seat in her study. Naismith was here for a private update before he presented to the whole council.

"Your Majesty," he bowed and sat, placing a leather portfolio containing the his report on her desk.

Most of what Naismith had to say was routine. Elsa trusted him to make the right decisions about Arendelle's Navy, which was essentially it's entire military, since any attack on the tiny Kingdom had to come by sea. As no one was attacking at present, that report was entirely routine as well. The bulk of the Navy's duties were pursuing the pirates that came near Arendelle's shores and assisting vessels that had been attacked by these pirates. The only matter of interest, and what occupied most of their meeting time together, was that Naismith and the Queen were strategizing on the best way to convince the council that the Navy needed at least one more larger ship.

They could neither afford nor properly man something the size of the Vigilant, but the encounter with that ship had convinced them both that it might be time to add something of a moderate size to their forces, another frigate with at least twenty four guns. Since all of the work would be done by the people of Arendelle, from the lumberjacks, to their expert shipwrights, to their sailmakers, to their foundry, it would have an economic benefit to the Kingdom as well. As Queen, Elsa could just order the ship made without any consultation, but she would much rather have a majority consensus from her advisers. If she was serious about guiding Arendelle from an absolute monarchy to something more democratic she needed to set up the ground work and then let that ground work actually do some work.

So both she and the Admiral had been talking to individual members of the Council on the matter, asking their opinion, listening to their concerns, and it seemed to be going well. If anything King William had made their job easier, no one on the council had missed that they were greatly out gunned by even moderate sized warships.

It was at the end of the meeting that Naismith took a deep breath and said, carefully, "There is the matter of the Lady Fitzwilliam, Your Majesty."

Elsa's heart leaped into her throat. She vaguely remembered Carolina going on about him last night – if any of that had gotten back to him, it would be terribly embarrassing. "Yes?" she asked.

"Well, she came and presented her request to join our Navy personally to me."

"Oh ..." This was the first Elsa had heard of this. Carolina had been adamant that Elsa not speak to the Admiral about her, not help her in any way. Elsa had reluctantly respected that request; she had even discouraged Kai from prevailing on his contacts in the Admiralty. She had hoped that eventually Carolina would see that bringing up her status and attesting to her good character was not the same thing as forcing her on the Navy, but apparently she still wasn't ready to accept Elsa's help.

"And initially I was inclined to deny her request. The command staff is not enthusiastic about adding her to our roster of officers. They don't trust her, and can't say as I blame them."

Elsa pushed any emotion his words prompted down; her face retreated into a neutral expression. This was exactly what Elsa had been worried about. The whole story of what had happened with the Vigilant was by no means widespread, and Carolina's innocence in the plot was particularly well hidden. Most people still presumed that Elsa had taken the Captain into custody because she had been wronged, and neither she nor Carolina had said anything publicly to dispel this presumption. The incident was touchy for Carolina, apparently being held in chains in her own hold was embarrassing, and Elsa had again respected her wishes by not talking about it.

"But after some circumstances, I was convinced that she was not an unworthy candidate, and that there might be a way to bring her into the Fleet, without undermining morale."

"How would you do that?" Elsa folded her hands carefully on the table in front of her. Carolina didn't want her to help, and she didn't want to alienate the Admiral by inadvertently freezing him. Her emotions were still running high, which meant her control of her magic was less than perfect.

"Well, we thought if perhaps Lady Fitzwilliam were to swear an oath in addition to those usually required of officers, a loyalty oath specifically to you and to Arendelle – her own personal ..."

"Fealty?" Elsa finished for him.

"Actually, yes."

Elsa's brow wrinkled as she pondered this. Part of her yearned to tell Naismith she had no doubt whatsoever as to Fitzwilliam's loyalty to her, and he should doubt the former Captain either. But she understood that hers wasn't the important opinion here. Carolina would need the support and respect of her peers if she was to be an effective and satisfied officer. Still... "That's rather medieval, don't you think?"

"Well yes, but it's that medieval formal quality that could make the difference." Naismith had been watching the Queen carefully. She was a difficult woman to read, and he certainly hadn't mastered it. But so far so good. "Her willingness to do more than is usually required would show others that she understands hers is a difficult circumstance."

"Very well, if that is what you think must be done." Elsa wasn't going to second guess him, not on this. "What is required of me?"

"This would have to be done in open formal court."

"I understand." She considered this for a moment. "Well that can certainly be arranged, I am sure. I am not familiar with the ceremony, but I am sure that Kai is, or at least he has a reference that will enlighten both of us."

"I also have a book or two that might help," The Admiral added.

"And doubtless somewhere in our endless collection of ancient regalia there must be the things I would need, again Kai would know for sure." Elsa was glad she wouldn't be the one sorting through that giant pile of what might charitably called history, or less charitably junk, that lived in the attic spaces.

Naismith was agreeable, he trusted that Kai would get this right. "You can arrange the court at your convenience of course, but I think sooner rather than later yes?"

"Yes, absolutely." Elsa did want Carolina to have something productive to do as soon as possible.

"Good." The Admiral nodded and looked relieved as he packed up the papers he had spread out over the table. He had managed to get to through the meeting without having to discuss what had changed his mind.

"Admiral?" Elsa added with a question in her voice. "You said circumstances convinced you of Fitzwilliam's worthiness. What circumstances?"

And there it was, the question he had been dreading. The Admiral shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "You are aware of an incident in a tavern two weeks ago, involving Fitzwilliam."

Elsa nodded slowly, wondering what that rather expensive mishap had to do with Carolina's military career.

"Well, it so happens that one of the yeomen on my staff happened to be present for the entire affair. Furthermore, he is well acquainted with one of the ... uh ... employees of the establishment." Naismith began.

"Go on." Elsa waited for the Admiral to continue. She might be imaging it, but he seemed more hesitant than when he had started.

"It seems, Your Majesty, that Lady Fitzwilliam was the one who actually started the fight."

"I knew it," Elsa muttered to herself. She had guessed all along that the 'they insulted Sven' story was a load of reindeer manure. But that didn't explain anything, in fact it made things murkier. "Do go on, Admiral. How does this convince you to accept Fitzwilliam into the fold? I would have expected exactly the opposite."

"Ahem. Apparently the precipitating event was a rather lewd suggestion from one of the other bar patrons. Lady Fitzwilliam took offense, told the ruffian to shut up, and the fight was on," said the Admiral.

"Yes, well, she is rather sensitive when someone makes reference to her parentage ... " Elsa stopped at a slight negation from the Admiral as he shook his head. "What?"

"Ah, the lewd comment was not about Lady Fitzwilliam's lack of gentle birth." Naismith squirmed a bit; he really wasn't looking forward to where this conversation was going, but his oaths forbade him to lie or mislead Her Majesty.

"What was it about, then?" Elsa looked at him quizzically.

"Ahem – well, it was a disparaging comment about the Princess Anna." Naismith looked as embarrassed as he felt. Elsa was stunned.

"What?!" she tried to hold it back and couldn't. Her exclamation was matched by a patch of ice underneath her left hand. 'Control yourself, breath, breath, Elsa!' She took a long breath, and then gestured again at him to continue. "I'm sorry, Admiral. Please, go on."

"It seems that the ruffians were insulting the ... affections of the Princess and Mr. Bjorgman." Naismith was struggling to maintain his equanimity.

This was more or less what she had expected once Naismith had confessed that it was Anna who had been insulted, and Elsa's mind was already racing through the possible courses of action. Anna and Kristoff needed do as much as they could to mitigate any negative public perception. Their union would never be universally accepted, no royal marriage ever was, but they would do well to have the bulk of the populace on their side. She needed to talk to Anna, and soon. She needed to make plans. It should not be difficult, Kristoff was a very likeable man, and he was the home town boy made good. But they, all of them Anna, Kristoff and herself, needed to move quickly, lest he loose the support of the very people they had counted on to be his champions.

As she brought her stare back from where it had fixed while she was thinking, she noticed that Naismith was still uneasy. He did not look like a man who had finished delivering the bad news. "And is there more?" she asked, wondering what else could match that revelation.

"Well yes … they ... " he coughed and tried to keep a scowl off his face.

"And they what, Admiral?" Elsa had dropped her head so she could rub her temples. She felt a headache coming on.

"Well, ah, they apparently disparaged your … uh ... relationship with the Lady Fitzwilliam." Naismith's body language was as close to a cringe as it could get without actually being one.

Elsa's head snapped up as she looked at him in horror. "My ... my ... relationship?"

Naismith could only nod uncomfortably.

Elsa groaned and sat back in her chair, looking at the ceiling while gripping the armrests so hard they frosted and shards of ice hung to the floor.

"So, what you are telling me is that my sex life and that of my sister are topics of bar gossip in the kingdom, yes?" Her eyes were squeezed shut as she tried very hard to pretend this wasn't happening.

"Ah, yes, Your Majesty." Naismith knew when to answer a question with the bare minimum of information and then shut up.

"Oh. My. God."

Some timeless eternity later, Elsa was able to look at the Admiral without blushing. "If it is in the dockside bars, what about among the gentry and nobility?" Elsa had to know the extent of the damage.

"Well, Your Majesty, it does not seem to be a topic of gossip, there. There have always been the grumbles about Master Bjorgman's lack of a noble title and so forth and so on, but that is nothing new. I gather that most of them think this is just a passing phase in the Princess' life, and that you will not allow her to marry beneath her."

Elsa grumbled at that. She had vowed that Anna would have a marriage of love a long time ago, and wasn't interested in the petty nonsense about Kristoff's not being worthy of her sister. They were right. She did have ultimate control over who Anna would marry, and she intended it be the man she loved, and the rest of the gentry could ... live with that.

"And about me … my relationship?" Elsa asked, her temper no better with considering this question.

"Hmm, actually, while you are the subject of discussion, it is always focused on the desire that you marry and produce an heir. I don't think any other possibility exists in the minds of those people."

Elsa winced and mulled that one over for a few minutes. Sighing, she finally said to the Naismith, "Thank you, Admiral. I imagine this must have been as difficult for you as it was for me."

He simply shrugged. "There was one bright spot, however. Based on my subordinate's observations, and the information he was given by the employee, one thing is absolutely certain: Lady Fitzwilliam's love and loyalty for you and your sister is deep and unquestioned. I'm sure that you knew that already, but it gives me comfort to have that proof."

"Well, that is one thing," Elsa sighed in agreement using her own magic to cool the throbbing at her temples. The rest, however - she had never been so annoyed and mortified in her life. It was a combination of feelings she never wished to feel again. Ever.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So it's just the two of us?" Anna came into the dining room for lunch to find Elsa sipping on a cup of coffee and picking at creamed pickled herring with her flatbread.

"Uh, yes. Looks like."

Elsa was distracted. She always carefully broke her flatbread into bite sized pieces, delicately dipping them into whatever they were served with and eating the whole thing in one small bite, just as they both had been taught and only Elsa had managed to master. Anna still preferred what the etiquette tutor disdainfully termed "the shovel method." Today though Anna watched as an entire wafer of bread was ferociously ground into a pile of crumbs on Elsa's plate. The princess decided then she needed to rescue what bread was left for her own lunch.

"Which is probably a good thing." Elsa continued, looking up from her plate. "We need to talk."

Anna almost dropped the plate of herring. "We do?" This wasn't the happy 'Elsa reminiscing about their past, or the past not shared.' Rather it was the 'Anna, there's a problem, and it is you,' request to talk. Talk being a synonym for lecture most of the time. "What did I do? It's not about last night, is it?" She was going to be more than a bit miffed if it was. Last night had been entirely of Elsa's doing.

"No, it's not about last night. I shouldn't have snapped at you when I was angry at someone else."

Anna sighed. Elsa might have apologized to her, but she still didn't get the take home message about empathy and understanding.

"And you didn't do anything." Now, Elsa looked nervous. Not her normal 'what am I doing out of my room and who are you' nervous, but something more. She seemed almost guilty. But she had said it wasn't about last night, Anna thought. So what could be wrong? The Queen continued, "But I will need you to do something."

"Oh … OK." Anna perked up. Doing things was much easier than trying to undo them. "What?"

"I need you to begin taking Kristoff to the functions you have to attend. Any royal business and Kristoff should be there."

"Oh," Anna's better mood was destined to be brief. Some things were less easy to do. "I don't know about that. Kristoff really doesn't like those fancy, formal events."

"Anna, this isn't up for discussion. You must do this."

Anna blinked. OK, so where was the nervous, embarassed Elsa of a moment ago ... had this rigid, high-handed Elsa swallowed her? "That's easy for you to say," she answered slowly. "But Kristoff isn't all that keen on taking orders, even from you." Anna wasn't keen on taking orders either, but she supposed she was actually supposed to. And probably Kristoff was supposed to as well, although when he really didn't want to do something she or Elsa proposed he always claimed he had 'duel citizenship with the trolls.' "He isn't into a lot of pageantry."

Elsa crumbled yet another piece of flatbread in her hand. She needed Anna to understand how important this was, but she didn't intend to tell her why. Anna didn't need to know that her name had come up as the catalyst for a bar fight - anymore than Elsa had wanted to hear it from the Admiral. "Anna, please. It doesn't have to be difficult. I'm not talking about formal dinners or a ball - although, there will be dinners and they will have to be a bit formal, you are the Crown Princess after all - but just take Kristoff, wearing his new clothes, to the next official engagement you have. You have that christining of the new merchant schooner next week. Take him to that. I think that if people get to know Kristoff better or quite frankly at all ..." Elsa thought carefully about what she said next ... "people will realize he is a good choice for you and for Arendelle.

"He's not going to like it, that's all I'm saying."

Elsa crossed her arms and leaned forward. "Well, that's something you need to talk to him about. He's joining the royal family. It's not a matter if he likes ..."

Anna had heard this before. "You're going to give the 'we're royalty, we do it even if we don't like it' speech aren't you?"

"It's not just a speech, Anna. It's true." Elsa didn't understand how her sister managed to miss out on the responsibility part of being royal.

"I don't know how many times you had to listen to it, but it was like my least favorite - and it always seemed to end with me not being able to do anything fun because I was wearing silly clothing and talking to stuffy people." It occured to Anna too late that in Elsa's case the speech probably ended with her not talking to anyone or going anywhere.

"Anna, don't change the subject."

"I'm not changing the subject. You're asking me to make Kristoff wear silly clothing and talk to stuffy people!"

Elsa almost laughed. This was the first amusing thing that she had heard all day. But she needed to be serious. This was a serious conversation. "I am asking you to start letting him in on the expectations everyone will have of him. I really think he'll be fine with it. He's a very responsible man. Do you want me to go talk to him? To lay the groundwork?"

Anna shook her head. "No, you'll just scare him."

"I don't scare him ..." Elsa answered defensively. But Anna's arched eyebrow called her assertion into question. "Very well, you handle it. But you need to take this seriously. You and Kristoff are going to be married, which will make him part of our royal family, with very real responsibilities and duties. I need you to do this." Elsa stopped herself; this couldn't be all about her. "We need you to do this. It's very important."

"OK, OK," Anna shrugged. "But what's the rush now? We haven't even formally announced our engagement yet?"

"It's just important," Elsa wrapped her arms around herself, just as she used to when she was hiding her ice powers from Anna.

"Elsa?" Anna was clearly waiting for a better answer. An answer that was not forthcoming.

"It's just important," she repeated more feverantly. "It's just what you do ... in these ... situations."

Anna looked up at the ceiling for guidance. With Elsa it was sometimes one step forward, nine thousand steps back. "Elsa, please. I'm your sister. I know you better than anyone, which may not be all that well, but I can still tell when you're holding something back."

Elsa opened her mouth but couldn't think of anything that wasn't an actual lie, except, "Anna, I really have to go now. I have to attend that Council Meeting. I will see you, later. At dinner."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lunch had gone better than Elsa had planned. Now she just had to make it through the council meeting. The council meeting! She stopped dead in her tracks. The Admiral said that the rumors, or whatever they were since they were at least in theory true, hadn't seem to come to the attention of the Council. But what if he was wrong? She suddenly felt queasy.

Sure, she wasn't doing anything wrong, per se. But for all of her bravado in declaring that her private life wouldn't be an issue when she was convincing Carolina to stay, she didn't actually know that. And there was a reason, she thought with some annoyance, that it was called a private life. It was supposed to be private! Until recently all she had had was a private life, a very quiet, very alone, very private life. Now to have what was apparently a gossip worthy private life become public? Her stomach lurched and her head spun. This was one of the rare moments when she was glad her parents were gone.

She finally made her way to the Council chambers, her heart racing the entire trip. The footman opened the door and she stepped through. Kai announced her and everyone came to their feet. As she walked forward to her chair, they bowed and then remained standing, all eyes on her. Normally this was reassuring, something she was used to, the role she was most comfortable in, but today as she met the eyes of her Council, all men of late middle age, she was struck with one horrifying thought. I am in a room with six renditions of my father.

She sat. They sat. Kai pushed her chair in. She reached for a glass of water, only to have it freeze as soon as she touched it. Not an auspicious beginning.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," she started, pushing the glass away to where Kai might attempt to thaw it, or replace it, or decide that she really didn't need a drink anyway.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty," the replied in once voice.

To her left sat her secretary, Ragge Ragnarsen, the sole person in the room almost her age; he was merely in his thirties. He was the fourth generation of men who bore that name, and who served the royal family. Her father had always said it made remembering whom to call easier. It just made Elsa smile when she saw him, and glad her family had a little more imagination. He kept the agenda and recorded the proceedings, at least the parts that were appropriate to be recorded. When she looked over to him to see what the first item for the day was, she found him in a furious whispered conversation with Kai.

"It is still irregular," Kai was saying. Ragge held up his hands helplessly.

"If we might begin?" she asked.

"Ah, yes, Your Majesty," the gentleman seemed a little flustered. "There was a last minute addition to our agenda, and …."

"I'll take that, Your Majesty," Master Sandvik said rising from his chair. Sandvik served as what might be considered a Minister of the Interior. He was one of Arendelle's few landholders with a large estate. He was the largest timber producer in the Kingdom. He was also one of the oldest members of the Council, both in longevity of service and actual age.

"The Council …" he began in his usual imperious tone. "The Council, along with most of the men of good station in Arendelle …"

The gentry, Elsa translated for herself.

"... are greatly concerned that you have not yet married so that you might produce an heir."

She felt a moment of panic as she considered exactly what that might mean, and exactly what they might know, and why they were bringing this up now? Had someone overheard her conversation with Naismith? Oh, god – she felt a wave a nausea pass over her. She was sure that her blush could be seen in the next room. She reminded herself that hiding under the table was not considered a queenly posture.

Naismith also seemed surprised, although his reaction was more pointed. "The Queen is still a young woman. This concern is rather premature, and she does have an heir in Princess Anna."

The council as a whole fixed their expressions in a neutral mask and sat very still.

Sandvik, however, continued. "I … We …" he indicated the rest of the council … "do not find it premature. In light of Her Majesty's, er, abnormal social instruction as a young woman, it may take some effort to make this match. And to that end …."

Elsa's eyes went wide. Did he just say what she thought he was saying? She knew it wasn't an incorrect statement. She had not had any experience meeting people before her coronation let alone being courted by them, but no one had ever called her socially stunted directly to her face before. She had always just said it to herself. Naismith must have noticed her reaction for he immediately came to her aid. "The Council is not who is making the effort or will have to live with this match, so I do not think it is appropriate for us to pronounce judgment..."

"But we are the ones who must ..." The arguing started, both men trying to be heard over the other.

"Gentlemen!" Elsa managed to get her mouth to work and while her first sound was more a squeak than a word, the rest fell in a more normal tone. "May I remind you that I am right here."

"Of course, Your Majesty," Naismith replied. Sandvik added, "Indeed, you are Your Majesty."

"And I appreciate your support Admiral, but … but I believe Master Sandvik had the floor." As painful as it was, she had to know exactly what the damage was; she couldn't assess her own standing if she didn't understand the full range of the council's concerns. "Master Sandvik, you were saying?"

"To that end, in order that we might assist Your Majesty in the orderly succession of Arendelle's royal line, some of us on the council have taken the liberty of inviting Prince Reinhardt of Luneberg."

"Oh well, I believe I met him at my birthday," Elsa interjected hopefully. She remembered that they did not get along.

"No, Your Majesty, you did not." Sandvik gave her a disapproving look. Elsa felt thoroughly chastised, but how was she supposed to remember everyone's name from that interminable night? "You met his younger brother Prince Detmar. Prince Reinhardt is the second son of Prince Nils the sovereign holding Luneberg for Emperor Ferdinand. He was visiting the King of Sweden, and I prevailed upon a deep friendship with his father to ask him to come here with the intention of meeting you."

So, Elsa considered, perhaps the brother had made a report of how awful and boring her company was – and the desires of the son did not necessarily echo those of the father. There was still a ray of hope. Please, she prayed, give me an excuse to say, 'no.' Then she asked, her voice catching - "Did he express any interest, himself, in seeing me?"

"Indeed he did, Your Majesty. We corresponded personally. He seemed quite pleased at the prospect." Sandvik was now the picture of a proud papa, his face all smiles. In fact as she looked around the room, all of her council, excepting Naismith, looked as if they had presented her with a wonderful gift in the person of this prince. And she just didn't have the strength to fight it, to fight all of them. Not today.

"When is the Prince arriving?" She asked dreading the answer.

"He shall arrive sometime in the next week. The date is not precisely fixed, but he has already set sail for Arendelle."

"Very well." If the man was already on his way, then there wasn't much she could do about it, anyway, but she could still control how his visit went. "I … and my capable staff," she looked pointedly at Kai, "will handle the arrangements from here. Master Sandvik, if you would coordinate the handing over of the pertinent details and methods of contact?"

"Of course, Your Majesty."

"Very well," she repeated with a thin, wan smile as she looked out over the room. "So what is our next order of business?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Problems abound.

Anna whistled and shook her head. "Oh, wow, you really do have a problem!"

Elsa was pacing around the library where she had gone to hide after her miserable council meeting. Anna had found her, and had gotten the short version of the meeting, but it was enough to make her cringe for her sister.

"Yes! I have a Prince coming soon." Her words were coming quickly, as Elsa tried to stuff all the looming disasters into one long unbroken breath. "He expects to spend time with me. I have no plans. We've made no preparations. I have no idea how long he intends to stay. I have no idea of anything about him, and I really don't intend to speak to that troll Sandvik." She turned and looked apologetically over to where Anna was standing. "I'm sorry that's probably rude to trolls. But I just don't have … "

"And you have Fitz," Anna interrupted.

"OhMyGod!" Elsa's heart stopped for the second time today.

"You didn't forget about Fitz, did you?" Anna squawked incredulously.

"No … no." Elsa's voice got noticeably more shrill. "Not really. I mean I would have remembered ... soon. I was just thinking of other things."

"Other things, Elsa? At a time like this? Things other than your – girlfriend?"

But Elsa's mind was racing off to confront this next problem, as she continued to pace in circles. "I can't have her challenging the Prince of Luneberg … or killing him … or worse. She'll just have to accept it. I mean, I'm a queen … an unmarried queen … and this is what we do … what happens … you know … unless we've told people that we're not doing it … which I know I should have done, but I didn't … I mean it seemed early … and you don't want to tell everyone too early … and I didn't know …."

She reached out and grabbed Anna, pulling the Princess right up to her with a shake. "I didn't even know if she felt the same way. I mean, I don't know if she feels the same way … you know ... about me … about forever … about love. "

Anna wiggled out of her sister's chilly vice grip, rubbing her shoulder. There would be a bruise there tomorrow, she was sure of it."Have you talked about these things with her?"

Elsa looked stricken, her eyes wide with fear.

"Well, Sandvik was right about one thing," Anna said. "You really are terrible at this."

"Oh, Anna. What am I going to do?" Elsa wilted into a chair, a flurry of snow swirling around her. Anna followed her down, kneeling in front of her.

"Well, the first thing is that you need to tell Fitz. Straight up tell her. I would expect her to get - well pretty angry, but she did have to know this sort of thing might happen. Tell her the truth, the Council sprung it on you, and …" she squinted as she looked up at Elsa, "tell me again why you didn't just tell them to put this idea in their pipe and smoke it?"

Elsa sighed,"They all looked like Papa. And they were all just staring at me, so expectantly."

Anna took a deep breath and held her sister's shaking hand. "Maybe you don't want to go into that detail."

"It's been a horrible day, Anna. Just horrible." Elsa voice caught and her eyes glistened. "First I didn't sleep … and then breakfast … and then …" she stopped before she went into the painful conversation with the Admiral ... "well, it's just been horrible."

Anna rose up and pulled Elsa into a hug. "It's OK. And tonight, you and I are going to have a serious sister to sister chat where you tell me everything that's happened today ... all of it." She sat back on her heels and brushed a stray lock of hair from Elsa's face. "Including why all of a sudden I'm dragging Kristoff off to boat christenings."

Elsa pulled back and began to wring her hands nervously. "That wasn't ..."

"No, no, you don't have to tell me now, you've got enough on your plate, but you are going to tell me. I promise." Anna winked and kissed her on the cheek. "Now you don't have much time before dinner to find Fitz. So you should probably get to it."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Fitz took one last look at the fading light before she went in for dinner. She was no clearer about the path ahead of her than she had been this morning, but she was calmer – and a lot less ill.

After she had left breakfast and finished her – Carrot Mary, Bloody Mary of Orange, or whatever that god forsaken drink they'd made for her this morning was – she headed to the stable and saddled a horse. She presumed rightly that Anna wasn't going to pursue a lesson today, which was more than fine with her. She was embarrassed. She certainly owed Anna an apology – and, she thought glumly, she owed Elsa one as well. But most of all she needed to think this one through, or she would bollocks it up again, and then where would she be?

So she had ridden out into what Anna laughingly called "Arendelle's heartland." It was true, there were a few farms here, some small ones, some slightly larger. But with the rocky uneven ground, and the very short growing season, it was nothing like the fence to fence, wall to wall farms of Avalon's midlands. This explained Elsa's hawk-like focus on trade. Her kingdom could feed itself, no one would starve if trade was cut off for some reason, but it wouldn't be a happy kingdom. Eventually even the people of Arendelle would tire of fish and barley.

However, one advantage of the riding through the under-developed countryside that she could sit back and let the horse take its head once they were clear of the walls of the capital. In Avalon one could either stick to the roads or one would be jumping fences, which was fine as long as you were in pursuit of something, but it wasn't relaxing or conducive to thought. Fitz could ride well enough. She had a decent seat on a hunter, enough that she wasn't embarrassed to be seen. But she hadn't ridden in a while, and she wasn't in the mood to concentrate on anything but her own sorry state of affairs.

The Admiral's words had struck her like a physical blow, and their aftermath had left her feeling more desolate than she had since she'd arrived here, quite possibly in her entire life. A career in the Navy here was out. The Admiral had been quite plain, and she would not allow Elsa to intercede … that would be disastrous both to any career and to her pride.

But what was she to tell Elsa? How long would it be before the Admiral's doubts came to the Queen's ears? The two of them were close, that much she remembered from last night; those words had stung. Of course Elsa trusted the people who had been beside her for years, why wouldn't she? What had Fitz done for her? What could she possibly do? Well, except make her really angry?

Fitz wasn't sure why that bothered her so much, certainly she had made other people – other women – angry before. Usually her response would have been a rather flip, "take me or leave me," and she confessed those words had occurred to her last night. She hadn't said them, and the thought of saying them in some misguided fit of anger left her terrified. Absolutely terrified. She could not afford a repeat of last night. She wasn't sure she trusted her own good sense.

On the way home she brooded again about the night before. She realized the whole fiasco was a symptom of her larger problem. She was drinking too much, and that only happened when she had nothing else to occupy her. She had to do something. But what? It wasn't like she could become a helpful court adviser. Not only would that have smacked of unacceptable patronage, but frankly she had no skills at all in that arena. She had no idea how farming worked, or ice harvesting, or cutting trees, or any of the other occupations that Arendelle offered. She supposed she had watched enough carpentry at sea in her life that eventually she might make a decent shipwright, but that was not a profession one just decided to take up on a whim. And – she laughed at herself – that would so improve her standing to court Elsa. A captain courting a queen was bad enough, but apprentice boat builder? Well, that wouldn't make anyone in the kingdom happy, not even her.

Cynically she wondered if her best chance wasn't going back to Avalon, killing her father and probably a brother or two, declaring herself King of Avalon … well, Queen, there was no getting around that biological impediment … and returning to court Elsa then. At least they'd be of equal rank, that would have to count for something.

But in her heart she knew that there was just no easy solution. She wasn't going to burden Elsa with her problems. She wasn't going to make this any harder for the Queen than it already was. She just had to keep a lid on her temper and ride out this storm.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Carolina." Fitz turned as she was about to enter the dining room. She was late, so she hadn't changed for dinner even though she was a mess. But she had thought perhaps she could excuse herself after the salad and go quickly bathe and change. She was a little surprised to find Elsa behind her.

"I have to speak with you." Elsa's eyes shot to the hallway and as if she expected to be attacked from that quarter.

"And I need to apol …."

"No really," Elsa interrupted. "It's important." The queen saw that the woman before her looked tired and subdued, not like her Carolina at all, and that is probably why she decided to start with the good news. "I spoke with the Admiral."

Fitz stiffened, a frown growing on her face.

"There is a way for you to join our Navy. You just have to swear personal fealty …."

"I told you that I didn't need your help," Fitz snapped, her frame stiffening as she fought with her emotions.

"I didn't …."

"That was the ONE thing I asked you to do. It's been my only real request, and you found it too difficult to accommodate?"

"Please, don't raise your voice to me ..." Elsa felt her own tattered nerves rising.

"You're right. I think I need a moment." Fitz turned abruptly and started away from the dining room.

"Stop!" The queen hissed. "I have to talk to you."

Fitz looked over her shoulder. "No. Not now. We can talk later. But I cannot talk with you now."

"It's import ..."

"No!" Fitz said emphatically. Then she wheeled back and took off down the hall.

Elsa let out an irate grumble, and she stormed into the dining room.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Anna was concerned. They were through the salad course and there was no sign of Fitz. Elsa hadn't even mentioned her; she had just started discussing her requirements of Kristoff and Anna for the upcoming visit of the Prince as if nothing about it were out of the ordinary. If Kristoff was confused he didn't show it. He just kept nodding. Once, when they were discussing the number of formal dinners that would be required, he grabbed Anna's hand and squeezed it hard, but otherwise he had been taking this all in stride. Anna was quite proud of him. Nervous as hell about Fitz and Elsa, but very proud of Kristoff.

Fitz showed up, freshly bathed and changed, just at the midpoint of the main course. By now Kai no longer announced her, and so she just came through the door. Elsa was going through a list of possible activities for the Prince's visit.

"He might like to ride, so Anna may I count on you to escort him?"

Anna swallowed to answer, but Kristoff beat her to it. "Why can't you do that?" Kristoff was still just a little possessive, and he didn't really want to send his fiance off with some prince looking for a royal to marry.

"Because, Kristoff," Elsa answered with an attempt at patience, "I don't know how. I never really learned to ride, and I think now is a poor time to start. The last thing Arendelle needs is a Queen with a broken neck."

"Yeah, like they need a broken neck themselves."

Elsa and Kristoff stared at Anna. It had sounded funnier in her head.

"Riding with whom?" were the words that Fitz used to announce herself.

Elsa's head jerked to face her and then jerked away. She frantically thought of the best way to put this.

"Oh, Elsa's got some Prince coming to visit her, and she's telling us about all the plans she's included us in," Kristoff offered, in what he thought was a helpful manner. "Apparently as the Princess and 'Prince to be' we've got … 'duties.'" He used air quotes.

Fitz blinked and frowned. "What Prince? What is a Prince coming to see you for?" It was a demand more than a simple question.

"It wasn't my idea …."

"What Prince? Why is this Prince coming?" she repeated.

"It is Prince Reinhardt of Luneberg, and he is a suitor," Elsa kept her voice level, quiet even, hoping the tone would rub off. "I did not invite him, the Council did."

"A suitor?" Fitz's tone was soft, but no less deadly. "For your hand?" Elsa nodded. "I would hope you didn't invite him."

"I didn't."

Fitz took a deep breath. "And what is the plan for me? How do I fit into the schedule?" Her voice became a growl, "Do I have 'duties' as well in these circumstances?" She used the air quotes, too.

"Darling, please," Elsa clasped and unclasped her hands in front of her. "You have to understand that it would be … awkward for the Prince if you were around. He doesn't know ... the circumstances. I don't have to accept a proposal, but I don't want to make him uncomfortable."

"Good thing you're perfectly fine making me uncomfortable then," Fitz spat out. Her eyes darted about like an animal caught in a trap. "I think I must take my leave." She gave a perfunctory bow.

"Carolina, wait ..." Elsa jumped to her feet.

"No, Your Majesty," Fitz continued, not looking back at her. "I have learned that in battle there is a time for retreat, before things get so badly damaged that you cannot recover. So … so, good evening." She swept through the door leaving it to bang closed her in wake.

"Carolina!" Elsa went to follow her. And her sister jumped up, "No, don't …just ... let her …." but Elsa was gone before Anna could finish, "cool down."

Anna sat back down and buried her head in her hands. Then she reached out and smacked Kristoff on the back of his head. "That was incredibly tactless! What is wrong with you? Were you raised in a barn?"

Kristoff rubbed the sore spot. "Yes. Kinda. Sometimes."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

When Elsa walked in Fitz was almost done neatly rolling some breeches and putting them into her sea bag.

"What are you doing?" Elsa demanded.

"This is not a good time for us to talk about anything," Fitz replied adding socks, undergarments and a few shirts to the bag.

"What ARE you doing?" she repeated, demanding an answer.

"I am retreating," Fitz snapped back. "I do not think it is wise for me to be here in this temper … with this … MAN … coming to see you!"

"I did not invite him."

"While I appreciate that." Fitz closed the bag with a vicious tug. "Really it is not the pertinent fact. The fact is he is coming, and I am in the way … very in the way. So I intend that not be the case."

"Please, you're not in the way."

Fitz turned. "Oh no, my dear. I truly am. This Prince will arrive expecting to find you an unmarried, unattached, dare I say virginal Queen. That will surely not be his impression if I am here. So," she threw the sea bag over her shoulder, "I will leave him … and Arendelle … to their illusion of their unmarried, unattached, virginal Queen!" And then she was gone.

Elsa stood still looking at the door. She bit her lip. Her left hand grabbed her right and twisted it tight against her waist. "Please, don't go," she said quietly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna redirects her anger. Kristoff serves as intermediary. Fitz regrets --a little. Elsa rules.

Chapter 5

Kristoff found Anna furiously stabbing the pell in the courtyard. He waited until she stopped impaling the poor fencing dummy. It looked ragged and torn, and she was covered in sweat and breathing hard. It had been a long morning.

"How are things today?" He asked.

Anna jumped in surprise, wheeling with her sword in front of her, crouched low to attack. She pulled back when she realized it was him.

"Good reactions," he said, hopping backward.

"Oh, Kristoff, I didn't hear you ..."

"I guessed, or at least I hoped that wasn't intentional." He wandered back to his original spot a little more warily. "Who is it?"

"What?"

He gestured at the pell. "Which one of them is it? Who are you beating some sense into?"

"Oh," Anna smiled, "Both of them. I'm taking turns. It's been a long morning."

Kristoff nodded, sympathetically. His night had been hell. He was pretty sure Anna's hadn't been too much better. "How are you doing?" Anna was still very sensitive to her sister's moods.

"I'm … OK." She shrugged her shoulders.

"How is she?" Kristoff indicated the upper floors of the castle with his eyes. There was only one "she" he could be talking about.

"Yeah, well ..." Anna sighed. "A mess, I guess. She won't even let me in to talk to her."

"Oh."

"I decided that she deserved some time alone if she wanted it. And she said she did, at least she didn't open the door. I told her that she had twenty four hours, and then we were returning to the 'no closed doors' policy." Anna kicked a pebbled across the courtyard. "So how's Fitz."

"A mess." Kristoff answered. He looked up at the sun and squinted. It was late morning. "By this time, a royally hung over mess."

"She was drinking when you found her?"

"Oh yeah!" Kristoff shook his head. "Do they give medals for drinking in the Navy because she can certainly put it away? And stand. And do things. I mean she was playing cards – and winning – when I found her. All the time doing her damnedest to start another fight, even if it was just with Brandy. She can be a mean drunk. I finally got her into her room, but I thought she was gonna deck me." He was still shaking his head as he walked over to the nearby water barrel and sat down with his back leaning against it. Anna made her way over and joined him.

"What are we going to do?" Anna finally asked.

"I dunno," Kristoff replied, with a shrug. "But, do we have to do anything? I mean they are both adults." Anna snorted. "Most of the time they are both adults," he corrected himself.

"Fitz is a fool," Anna said firmly. "My sister is a fool. The only thing worse than one fool in love is two fools in love." Then she shifted to face Kristoff. "Fitz does love my sister, right?"

"Oh yeah," he nodded. "She told me when we were out hunting. Kind of" - he gestured back and forth between himself and the air - "a bonding moment. You know it's hard when you're not royalty … to be in love with a Queen," then with a sigh Kristoff lowered his eyes, "or a Princess."

Anna took his hand and held it to her cheek. She loved the feel of his work hardened fingers, but she knew that they were the symbol of the impediment to their match. If she had been any other princess in any other Kingdom she might never have been allowed to even see Kristoff, let alone marry him. That one one debt she truly owed her sister. Her sister had assured her happiness; she would do the same if she could. "We're really just people like anyone else, but I understand."

Kristoff moved closer and put an arm around her. "And Elsa loves Fitz? You wouldn't have asked if she didn't, right?"

"Yes. Olaf told me." Kristoff chuckled. "No, really," Anna said, "Elsa confides in him at least as much as she confides in me. She also forgets her own warning that he isn't very careful about what he says and to whom. But I'd know anyway, she actually used the "l" word yesterday."

"Which one?" Kristoff asked, innocently.

Anna smacked him with her free hand. "Love, you idiot." She stuck out her tongue. Then they both chuckled and looked out across the courtyard.

"You know," Kristoff started ….

"The problem is," Anna said at the same time.

"She is terrible at this," they said together. "The love thing," they finished together. They looked at each other and laughed again.

"Oh boy," Kristoff continued once he had caught his breath. "I am so glad I didn't get the … difficult Princess."

"How do you know, you didn't," Anna teased back. "Maybe I'm just waiting for after the wedding to let the crazy out."

Kristoff stiffened. "Tell me you're joking, because really I couldn't handle Elsa, you know … that way. She's a great queen and all, and she'll be a wonderful sister-in-law but ..."

Anna smiled. "And I would rather walk the plank than live with Fitz, but fortunately neither of us has to deal with them like that. They do. So now we need to get them back in the same room, talking to each other … hopefully about how much they love each other."

"That's a tall order," Kristoff said.

"Yeah, but if they love each other, and they do, we have to try … and let's face it, do we really want to inflict them on anyone else?" This time Kristoff snorted.

Anna continued,"I'll take Elsa. I am wily in the ways of her sphinx-like communication skills. I am sure that there is something going on here that she's not telling anyone."

Kristoff frowned. "Yeah, whatever. I'll talk to Fitz."

"And there is something going on with her, too," Anna added. "Elsa really had no idea why she came home drunk the other night. So that's your mission."

"Mission?" Kristoff looked dubious. Anna did have a tendency to over elaborate the simple things. "I'll go talk to Fitz. Although I'll wait until this afternoon, I don't imagine she'll be up anytime soon."

Anna nodded, and they settled up against each other. "You know," she said after a few minutes had passed, "you talk to Sven."

"Yeah, so what?"

"I'm just sayin' … there's enough crazy around here for everyone."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Elsa?"

Anna looked around the room that was the antechamber to Elsa's suite of rooms that included her bedroom. It was cold out here, but it was remarkably snow and ice free. That was a good sign. There was a small pile of papers on the small end table near a wing chair. Anna glanced through them. They all bore the Queen's signature, and one appeared to be instructions written in Elsa's handwriting. That was also a good sign. If Elsa was using the table as her outbox then she was able to work. But she still wasn't opening her door.

"Elsa?" Anna repeated more loudly.

There was silence.

"Elsa, you promised we would talk." Actually Anna had been the one who promised that, but she wasn't going to let little things like facts get in the way of her argument. "Elsa, it's not good for you to be locked up alone in there. I know you're upset, and I want you to talk to me."

More silence. Anna had thirteen years of this and it still rankled her. She was trying to be patient, but it was hard just standing here waiting. Her mind easily conjured up a million things that could be wrong, but the one that always was the first to occur to her and the last to leave her thoughts was that Elsa would retreat back into a world of solitude where Anna would never be able to reach her.

"Elsa, it will be OK. We can work on this together, but you have to let me in." She tried the handle; it turned, but the door didn't open. She gave it a good push with her shoulder. It still didn't open.

Finally she lost her patience. "Elsa!" she said loudly, right up against the door.

"Go away, Anna." The response was faint and muffled.

Anna's face screwed up in frustration, and she clenched her fists. She had heard enough of that to last her a lifetime. In a fit of pique and with an accompanying angry growl, she kicked the door. It banged open; ice shattered and skittered across the floor. Before her was …

Elsa, curled up on her bed in a tight little ball, hugging herself and sobbing. Anna could see the pillow she was clutching was a sodden mess, so this had been going on for some time. All of her frustration and anger fell away as she walked across the freezing room.

Anna sat down on the edge of the bed, but that was still too far from her sister. Not even pulling off her boots she crawled up on it and wrapped herself around Elsa. "Oh, Elsa," she said sadly. Elsa didn't cry often, usually you knew she was upset because it was cold, or maybe you could see the unshed tears still in her eyes. But for her to be sobbing like this, well the last time Anna had heard this she had been thawing. Anna pulled her sister close and gave her sister a reassuring squeeze. "I think it will help if you talk to me. Can you talk to me?"

Elsa nodded her head, but her shoulders continued to shake, even as she buried her head in Anna's embrace. Anna waited patiently. This was one time she had no trouble waiting. She ran her hand over Elsa's back in soothing circles. Eventually Elsa lifted her head and sniffed, "I'm sorry." Her nose was red, and there were streaks running down her face.

"Why are you sorry?" Anna answered immediately.

"I'm getting your shirt wet. You'll get sick in here."

Anna shook her head. It was very cold in here, and she could see a thick sheet of ice on the windows, but she had dressed warmly, with two chemises under her heavy dress, and she had a cloak. "I'm fine. I planned this time." She pulled her cloak around both her and Elsa. "The question is how are you? I was really worried about you."

"I was fine," Elsa continued in a small voice. "Well, last night wasn't a good night. I didn't sleep, and I froze that pillow -" She waved vaguely toward the door – "but I seemed to have it mostly under control." Turning her head to Anna she continued, "And today I was angry, really angry which seemed to be an improvement. I got some work done, but …." she started to cry again.

Anna stroked her and waited until she heard soft hiccuping. "But what, Elsa?" Anna prompted.

It was a while before she could answer. When she did it sounded far away, "I know what the problem was. Why Carolina stayed out the night before last. I figured it out. And …. and I'm a terrible person."

"Whoa, whoa!" Anna lifted Elsa's chin trying to interrupt the chain of sobs. "You're not a terrible person, what makes you say that?"

"It was the worst day of her life, and I … I got angry with her," Elsa said. "I know you're supposed to be supportive for someone you love when they're having a bad day, and all I did was make it worse." Elsa looked away, embarrassed to confess this even to her sister. "I don't know how to do this, Anna. I don't know how to have a relationship with someone. I can't be good for her. I didn't know that something was wrong. I didn't talk to her. She was in pain, and all I did was drive her out of our bedroom. I am a terrible person – a terrible horrible person."

"Hold on a moment." Anna shushed her sister with a gentle nudge. Once Elsa started down the 'I am a terrible person path' it was difficult to get her back. "I think we need to talk about this. Talk about all of it. From the beginning. So, worst day of her life … of Fitz's life?"

Elsa just nodded.

"You want to tell me why you think that?"

"Admiral Naismith had denied her application to our Navy. He as much told me that yesterday, but I was too preoccupied … with … other things. I didn't listen." Elsa smacked her own forehead, hard enough that even Anna heard it. "I didn't put two and two together."

"Oh." Anna slid back on the bed, so she was leaning against headboard and then reached down and pulled Elsa after her. She took this time to think a moment about what had happened. "Did Fitz ever tell you it was the worst day of her life?" Her sister certainly played a part in the problem that was her and Fitz's complete lack of communication about this, but her guess was Fitz was just as guilty.

"Of course it was the worst day …. She's been counting on that … she's been thinking about that and worrying … and I knew it … but I didn't think." When Elsa brought her eyes up this time she looked utterly defeated and dejected. Anna knew that Elsa counted on her ability to think things through especially since she realized her emotional skills were still developing. That admission had to have cost her. "I didn't think. And she might have tried to tell me. But when Carolina's drunk … it was like a foreign language, Anna … one I don't speak."

Anna would have laughed except for the look in her sister's eyes. She brushed Elsa's bangs back out of her face. "I don't think we can count drunken mumbling as telling," she said firmly. "So, it may come as a surprise to you, but most people aren't mind readers. Not even you. No one can tell what the problem is unless you tell them, right? No one knows what you are thinking, right?" She gave Elsa a knowing look.

"Yes, right. I think I learned that one – mostly."

"So you didn't know what the problem was, and you went with what you were feeling, which was annoyed because..." Anna inflected it into a question and waited for Elsa to answer.

"I really was worried. But I didn't hear from her all day, which was annoying, I admit. I don't have to know where she is every minute, but not to hear from her all day and then all evening, it seemed inconsiderate. And I was asleep, well almost, when she came in … smelling like well, I don't go to taverns, but I bet that's what they smell like, and she was rambling on and on … and … so I was angry. And I got angrier because she wasn't making any sense. And she got louder, and I got louder … and I yelled at her." Elsa swallowed hard and wrapped her arms around her chest. "I was terrible – a horrible terrible person."

"Honestly," Anna leaned forward so that their heads were almost touching, "You weren't at your best, no. But you had reasons to be angry, and not bad ones either. And no matter what she owed you an explanation the next day. That would have helped."

"I suppose," Elsa sighed. "I wasn't exactly open to conversation then either."

"No, but she owed you an explanation, and I think if she'd come to you and talked to you rather than running off and drinking … I dunno … carrot juice, I think you would have understood." Anna sat back again and ran a hand through her own hair, flicking the end of her braid. "That and … well, that whole suitor thing really came at a bad time."

Elsa winced. "I tried to tell her."

"Elsa, there was no way she was going to take that well. Not with the way she was feeling. That would have been a tough conversation under the best of circumstances."

"And that was my fault, too." Elsa buried her head in her hands.

Anna rested her chin on top of Elsa's head. "Stop it," she said. "It wasn't your fault. But if you're going to apologize, don't apologize to me, apologize to Fitz."

"Oh Anna, she's not going to want to talk to me again." Elsa's voice wafted up from somewhere on Anna's chest. "She's probably looking for the first boat to someplace that isn't here."

Anna considered a moment. She and Kristoff had agreed on some rules for this intervention. Neither one of them was going to speak for the other injured party. No one was going to promise a happy ending. But this statement, this was just the truth, she thought she could tell her sister the plain truth. "Actually she's not."

"She's not?" Elsa's head jerked up, sending Anna's teeth chattering together as she flew backward.

Once she pushed herself upright, Anna explained while rubbing her jaw, "Kristoff saw her last night. She's staying at the inn, you know, the one they broke."

"Is she?"

"Yeah, and she was just as upset as you were. She just … shows it differently."

Elsa looked down on her hands and then sighed. "But that doesn't mean she's ever going to want to speak to me again?"

"Oh, Elsa. Of course she will. I mean you and Fitz have got to work this out for yourselves but ... but … well, you guys just have to do it." She stopped herself before she spoke for Fitz. "However … if you look over there." Anna pointed at the corner of the room. Elsa's eyes followed her hand.

"That's her sword."

"Yes," Anna nodded. "And I know how she feels about her sword, and what it means to her. There is no way she would leave that behind by accident."

"It could just mean she's planning to come back and lop my head off in my sleep," Elsa said sullenly.

Now Anna did laugh. "You are impossible."

"Excuse me. That's my line."

"Hah! Shoe … fitting. This time the shoe fits you. Right now there is shoe fitting."

Elsa tried to glare, but it just came out as a sort of pathetic red eyed stare, and Anna pulled her back into her lap.

"So," Anna said after a bit. "You were really worked up yesterday, and about more than a bad night's sleep and one inebriated sailor. You promised you were going to tell me what was going on?"

"Oh." Anna felt Elsa tense up in her arms.

"Come on, it's only fair. You promised." Anna reminded her.

"No, actually," Elsa was starting to regain her normal tone. "You promised for me."

Anna shook her head. One day Elsa would just realize it was quicker and better for everyone if she just told Anna what was going on in her head straight out. But at least this time there hadn't been any running, or hiding, or freezing of hearts.

She fixed Elsa with a stern look, a very unpracticed stern look. "I promised for you for a good reason, now spill it, sister – "

"Very well," Elsa gave a deep sigh. She looked at the ceiling, and her hands instinctively found each other. "Do you know why Fitz and Kristoff got into that fight at that tavern?"

Anna looked at her. Of course, they both knew what happened. "Someone insulted Sven … and made some insinuations about Kristoff's relationship with him."

"Oh, Anna," said Elsa in wonderment. It was no surprise she had fallen for Hans, Elsa thought, she was guileless and totally gullible. "You really believed that, didn't you?"

Well yes, she had, but now Anna was getting the feeling that maybe she shouldn't have. "Why, was it something else?"

"Yes, it was." And Elsa was too tired, too emotionally worn out to beat around the bush, so she just started the story. "When I had the meeting with Admiral Naismith …."

Several long moments later Anna's voice could be heard ringing through the halls. "And they didn't tell us! THAT is how it started, and they didn't tell US?!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Come."

Kristoff pushed open the door to the small room where Fitz had taken up residence and found her staring out the window.

"Hey," he said.

"Hello," she replied, turning. Her eyes looked distant and glazed. They were slightly red, perhaps from the drinking, perhaps not.

They eyed each other.

Fitz spoke first. "I am sorry. I was a total ass last night."

Kristoff nodded. "You were a little over the top, yeah."

They continued to stare at each other.

"My manners, I appear to have left them behind as well." Fitz shook her head, and she indicated the pair of small wooden chairs that with the bed and a low chest completed the furniture in the room. "Please have a seat. I can ask the maid to bring tea if you wish?"

"No, that's OK." Kristoff only associated tea with uncomfortable things like suits and fragile cups. But he did pull up a chair. Fitz took the other.

"So?" Fitz offered after another long silence.

"So," Kristoff responded. "So, how are you doing … today?"

"I'm fine." She answered quickly, shaking her head as if the whole idea behind that question annoyed her.

"Really?" The way Kristoff dragged out the word it was obvious he wasn't buying that. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" Fitz tone chilled.

Kristoff tilted his head and frowned. "You know, I haven't met anyone who successfully drank their way out of a problem."

"What exactly are you saying, sir?"

"I'm saying whatever's going on in there," He pointed at her head. "Getting your face beat in by angry thugs who are bigger than you, and you know that will happen if you keep on like last night, isn't gonna help it."

"I assure you, sir, that I do not make a habit of that sort of boorish behavior."

"Yeah, well I hope so," Kristoff folded his arms behind his head and continued casually, "'cause not only doesn't it work; it's kinda the coward's way out."

Fitz jumped to her feet. "Are you calling me a coward, sir?" Men had died for that remark.

Kristoff leaned back in his chair, balancing on the rear legs, and looked up at her, his smile daring her to do something drastic. "Not yet."

They stared at each for another long while. Then Kristoff reached into his pocket. "Kai gave me this to give to you." He handed her a rather large envelope. "It's from Avalon."

"From Avalon," Fitz looked astounded, all her bravado faded instantly. She took the envelope and pulled out a pocket knife to open it. She unfolded the paper inside, and her eyes moved quickly down the page. "It's from my brother."

"Problem?"

"Don't know," she answered still reading. "It's from Edmund. My youngest half-brother. The only one of them worth the time of day if you ask me." She frowned and held the letter closer to the window to see it better. "He's asking me to meet him in Sweden. He's waiting for me in Gotëborg."

"Sweden, why?"

"He doesn't say," Fitz folded the letter to return it to the envelope. "But it's safe to say he didn't come here to Arendelle because he didn't want to cause international incident. I need to go to him."

"It could be a trap," Kristoff offered helpfully.

"Yes, indeed. But of all the people likely to do that Edmund is the least."

Kristoff found the lack of certainty in that statement to be discomforting. "What do you think it means?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea," Fitz seemed genuinely perplexed. "If he's here. Well, he couldn't leave Avalon without the King knowing. So, William knows what he's up to."

"Yeah," Kristoff confirmed, "it sounds like a trap."

"He says he needs my help," Fitz said it as if it that made all the difference, as if that was the only thing that mattered. "He's my brother. I have to go." She sat back heavily in her chair, suddenly reminded what going would look like to everyone else, especially to a particular someone else. "I really do have to go."

Then she looked up. "Kristoff?" she asked. "Would you please tell Elsa that I will be away for a bit? I don't think she wants to see me, and I can't risk losing my temper again. I behaved like a churl, and it's still very embarrassing to even contemplate. But I don't want to just leave without telling her."

"I don't think Elsa would see it that way, and I do think she'd rather hear this news from you."

"I just can't face her, yet. It's just too … please, Kristoff?" Fitz begged. "You can tell her it's my brother I need to see, if you think … if you think you should."

"Okay." Kristoff was reluctant, but he couldn't force Fitz to tell Elsa, and someone telling her was better than no one. "And you are sure you should go?"

"I must." Fitz nodded her head decisively. "And Kristoff?"

"Yeah?"

"I would greatly appreciate it if you'd accompany me."

"Me?" This surprised him. Why ever would Fitz want him to go with her on a trip to see her brother?

"Yes. You see," she paused, "I think I shouldn't go alone, for any number of reasons, and well, you're my only friend here. My only real friend … except Anna, and this really isn't something she should be part of."

"No," Kristoff firmly agreed that Anna needed no part in this. Then he thought about the rest of what she had said. "I'm really your only friend?"

"Probably my best friend, too." Fitz admitted.

"Your best friend?"

"Well I've tossed up a couple of bars before, but always with good friends. That elevates you well above common friend," Fitz explained. "And I do rather enjoy your company when you're not being impossible about rabbits and such."

Kristoff could argue about who exactly was the one prone to being impossible, and there was at least one other perplexing improbability. "Didn't you just about challenge me to a duel?"

"Well … yes … you called me ..."

"Whatever. You guys try to kill your best friends a lot in Avalon? Because I think that might be part of your problem."

"No, we don't … I wouldn't have … I didn't." Fitz was taken off guard by that question. It wasn't something she had ever thought of.

"Yeah?" Kristoff still looked dubious. What she was saying made no sense, but then a lot of what seemed to be Fitz's idea of proper behavior made no sense. Sort of like how she was purposely avoiding Elsa, running away, running here. Sleeping in an inn, no matter how comfortable, was not like sleeping in the castle in the arms of the person you loved.

"The person being challenged gets to choose the weapon, right?"

"Yes, that is how duels are traditionally performed." Fitz was relieved to be on familiar ground again. She just didn't think she was up to too much deep thinking right now. And she had a trip to plan.

"You know what I'd choose, if you challenged me?"

"What?" Fitz asked absently; she was already considering what she would need to do for the trip.

"Elsa." Kristoff said firmly. "She's the best weapon I know."

"What?" Fitz looked up, thoroughly shocked. "You can't pick a … a person. It's unheard of. It's just wrong." Fitz sputtered. "And besides there isn't a matched pair. There is only one … only one Elsa."

Kristoff smiled and nodded liked she'd just answered the prize winning question. "Yeah, well at least you realize that. You might not be quite as dense as I thought."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"She's going where?" Elsa looked up from the her desk. Anna and Kristoff were standing on the other side. Kristoff being the bearer of the bad news.

"Sweden. Gotëborg."

Elsa shot a look at Anna, half barely controlled terror, half 'I told you so.' "Why is she going?"

"She said it was a family thing, Elsa. Her brother."

"A family thing?" Elsa couldn't believe him.

"She's suicidal?" Anna added. Kristoff hadn't explained everything about why they were here. Just that Fitz had to go on a trip, and she had asked him to tell Elsa. Kristoff seemed to think this wasn't a big deal. Anna knew it was.

"No," Kristoff answered. "She said something about this was her youngest brother, the one she could trust. I'm not so sure it's as easy as she makes it out to be. And that's one reason why I'm going. I can get her out of there if it looks like it's a trap."

"By yourself?" Now Anna was getting nervous.

"You'd be safer if you took a squad of guards with you." It was out of Elsa's mouth before she could think, and once she did she frowned and cut off Anna's encouragement, "I know but I can't, Anna. Really I can't. We're not invading Sweden to keep Fitzwilliam safe, and Kristoff should be safe no matter what, given his relationship to you." But the whole thing was infuriating; she was helpless, and she was very worried. So much so that when she put her quill back in the ink pot, it was forceful enough that the ink shot up splattering on her desk. She was also getting annoyed again, annoyed at Carolina for not coming here herself, really annoyed at herself for caring so much that she didn't. "Not that I suppose it's any business of mine …."

"Oh, stop it," Anna chided her. "Of course it's your business."

"I would expect if it were my business, she would have come to tell me herself."

The silence was broken only by Anna's nervous shuffling. Kristoff clutched and wrenched the hat in his hand.

Elsa raised her head, straightening her spine, looking down her nose. "Very well, Kristoff, you came to tell me Fitzwilliam's plans and now you have. Thank you." The dismissal rang in her tone. Kristoff stepped back and even gave a little half bow before he left.

"Elsa …." Anna started in.

"Not now, Anna." Elsa's voice was as stiff as her spine. "I have a Kingdom to run. We may speak this evening."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Brand new prologue and summary by grrlgeek72. :D
> 
> A/N to that N: So this story was written several years ago. grrlgeek72 (her handle on FF.Net) was my beta but also truly my friend. I always spent time in the summer with her, we chatted regularly, she was a great human being. I loved that she was my friend. Sadly she passed away this winter. I miss her a lot. It makes it hard to write, but I am copying my stories from ff.net to here in the hopes that I can be inspired. Go read her stuff. It is good. She was a tremendous person.


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